McMaster University offers MA/MS in Occupational Therapy, a master's degree in Rehabilitation Sciences programme in Hamilton, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 28,477 per semester (CAD 3,463 per semester for local students).
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is a professional graduate program delivered full-time over two years within McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences, administered through the School of Rehabilitation Science. Unlike the university's research-based master's programs, it is entirely course-based rather than thesis-based, structured to build the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours needed to practise as an entry-level occupational therapist. The curriculum is designed to meet recognized professional accreditation and practice standards for the field, preparing graduates for professional registration. The program suits students who already hold an undergraduate degree and want to move directly into occupational therapy practice, a field centred on helping people participate in the everyday activities that are meaningful to them. Because the credential is course-based, its focus sits on structured professional training and clinical competencies rather than on original research or a thesis, distinguishing it from thesis-based science master's programs offered elsewhere at the university.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.30 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Occupational Therapy admits from a four-year baccalaureate degree (120 units, or equivalent) in any discipline, with no required prerequisite courses. Ranking uses an ORPAS-calculated sub-GPA over the last 60 units of study, with a minimum of 3.30/4.0 (B+, 77%); the highest-ranked applicants, roughly 800, are invited to interview. No references, CV, or personal statement are requested. Applicants whose first language is not English, or whose degree was not completed in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, must submit TOEFL iBT (minimum 92 overall, 20 per section) or IELTS Academic (minimum 6.5 overall, 5.5 per section) scores no more than two years old; international transcripts also require a WES assessment. Transfer credit and advanced standing are not accepted.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:McMaster admits Level I students for September entry only. For Fall 2027, deadlines are set per programme: competitive programmes such as Engineering, Computer Science, Health Sciences, Midwifery, iBioMed and Honours Integrated Science close 15 January 2027, while most other Level I programmes (Business, Humanities I, the Life Sciences and Social Sciences gateways) stay open to 1 April 2027, often with an earlier 1 February 2027 'Equal Consideration' review point. These dates are identical for domestic and international applicants for nearly every programme; the sole exception is Nursing, where Ontario high-school applicants close 15 January 2027 and all other applicants, international included, close 1 February 2027. No programme is described as rolling beyond its published deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
